125. The Dragon Spine

The place known as the Dragon Spine stretches along the northern edge of the Great Tree Sea, a treacherous and unforgiving landscape of mountains rising to three thousand meters, untouched by any who dare approach.

The dragonkind were originally a gentle race, guardians to other species. In ancient times, they harnessed their colossal bodies and immense magical power to carry out large-scale civil engineering projects—shaping terrain, managing water resources—and supported other races.

But after the Great Magical Outbreak, fleeing the chaos on the surface, they retreated to this mountain range. Staying near the Dragon Veins here, they gradually cut off all contact with other races, surviving in small, isolated villages.

The only remaining connection is with the town belonging to the Dracian Kingdom, located nearby.

The Dragon Village lies near the eastern end of the Dragon Spine.

This is Adra’s homeland, and though he feels a quiet relief at returning after so long, he can’t shake the unease over Iberia’s disappearance.

Adra flew at his original size, guiding the magic vessel forward.

As they drew near the village, a single dragon suddenly appeared directly in front of them.

"Ship and dragon—halt right there!" the dragon spoke through telepathy.

Shiro brought the vessel to a stop.

Adra shouted toward the dragon.

"Ameria! It’s me! Adra!"

"Ahh, Adra? Long time no see. I’d almost given up hope you’d ever come back. So you’ve finally returned?"

"Sorry. But me and Iberia… we just had to see the outside world… Wait—has Iberia come back?"

"No? She hasn’t returned. Were you two not together?"

……So that’s how it is. She hasn’t come back yet… Ameira, actually, Iberia’s gone missing. We were together the whole time, but we split up somewhere along the way.” Adra’s voice dropped, as if recalling that moment.

“Worse yet, she might be sick. That’s why I came to check—whether she’s returned here.”

“What? So that’s it… Got it.” Ameira.

“Anyway, Ameira, I’ve brought Shiro—the Apostle of Firumia—and his companions. He’s the one who saved my life. We’re searching for Iberia together. Shiro, Ameira’s Iberia’s older sister. She’s like a sister to me.”

“Shiro, at your service. Nice to meet you.”

“What? The Apostle of Firumia? Ah, I’m Ameira. Likewise. Nice to meet you. Wait—can you speak Dragon Tongue?” Ameira looked startled.

“Yes, well…勉强 (勉强) enough. Actually, I came here because I wanted to speak with the Elder. Is that possible?”

“Want to meet the Elder? …Alright. I’ll go talk to him. For now, wait somewhere appropriate. Adra, take care of these people.”

With that, Ameira flew off toward the village.

◇

“Divine Child, it is an honor to meet you.”

The Elder’s dragon spoke.

“Likewise, Ancient Dragon Elder, thank you for granting me this audience.”

Then—

“Just a moment, please,” the Elder said. His entire body flared with light, then settled—revealing a dignified, silver-haired old man standing in place.

“This should be easier to talk with.”

“Wait—this is—!” Shiro was stunned.

“Haha. That’s the Human Form skill. Our dragon kind can use the human form granted by the gods. Though only after reaching a certain age. Adra, still not here?”

—and then continued.

“Now then, what brings you today?” the elder said.

“…Yes, actually, I have a question. Do you happen to know anything about the god Satias? If it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate any information you could share,” Shiro asked the elder.

“…Ah, Satias, the deity, you say. In this age and this world, it’s rare to find a human who knows of him besides us dragons,” the elder replied. Then, he continued.

“Satias is a god we dragons have revered since ancient times. Of course, Firumia also honors him. During the age of creation, it was Satias who guided us to this land. Back then, there were gods assigned to each race, and Satias was the one who led us when we descended here.

Still, that knowledge isn’t widely known. Firumia has always acted as our representative. It’s said that too many divine leaders could lead to conflict among races, so they kept the details of Satias’ role hidden.”

“Ah, so there shouldn’t be any human who knows of Satias… Then, does even the dragon people know of him?”

“…Well, they should, shouldn’t they? They revere us dragons and Firumia. So they shouldn’t know of any other gods, right?”

“Ah, I see. Then, one more question—this world seems to experience periodic surges of monstrous beasts. Do you have any knowledge of that?”

“I know the phenomenon occurs. But why it happens—no one knows. All I can say is that it began only after the great magical malfunction stabilized. It took some time after the collapse before the surges started.”

“After the collapse… and only after some time?”

"Yeah, that's right. After the great magical malfunction, for about three hundred years, it was a time of chaos. Most races were worn down by it, forced into isolation. Our kind was no exception. Still, humans and beastfolk were resilient. They pushed through. Anyway, after the miasma issue settled and humans began to develop again, miasma started erupting regularly once more. We don’t know the cause. But it’s likely some research from the Demon Kingdom leaked out during the accident. The general outline has been passed down through generations of elders—this is one of those fragments. The true details remain unknown," the elder concluded.

—Research scattered by an accident? So what kind of research was it, exactly? Shiro murmured inwardly.

"Go to the old Magiwesuto cities. The records might still be there," the elder added, offering Shiro final advice.

After that, the discussion turned to the Saintria Federation. The dragons decided to join, but with limited magic-ship routes. Not all dragons can take human form, and most are old. They just want peace. So they agreed to appoint an ambassador, contact in advance when needed, and approve magic-ship flights and landings only when necessary.

◇

"Lord Shiro, I have a request."

Aria approached Shiro. She’d used her human-form magic to take on the appearance of a beautiful woman.

"Ah, Aria, what is it?"

"Can you take me along too? My sister, ah, she's looking for Iberia, isn't she? I want to join the search. And I’d like to train and guide Adra too. He’s still inexperienced for a dragon—there’s a lot he needs to learn, and I need to pass it all on."

"Ah, I see. Of course, you’re welcome. Use any spare room on the ship you like."

"Really? Thank you so much! I appreciate it."

And so, Iberia was officially added to the journey.

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